College President Fired After Drunk-Driving Arrest

This past week, Darnell Cole was dismissed as president of Milwaukee Area Technical College. Earlier this month Dr. Cole had been arrested when he was found stopped on an Interstate highway at 1:40 a.m. with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit.

Dr. Cole apologized for what he called a “serious error in judgment.” And students held demonstrations calling on the board of trustees not to fire the president. But the board voted 6 to 3 against retaining Cole. In a statement, the board said “operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol is not acceptable conduct.”

Some critics of the board’s decision questioned whether Cole would have been fired if he was white.